Walt Fink
Reviews By Author
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The Grumman F6F Hellcat: A Comprehensive GuidePublished: February 1, 2016 Sam Publications has published another incredible reference work, this time on one of the mainstays of the navy’s air power in the Pacific theater. Author Thomas M. Cleaver has put together a 175-page opus with just about every aspect of the Hellcat one could want. Whether you’re a history buff, modeler, an aviation enthusiast or all of the above, this book will be a necessity for your files… more |
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The Fairey Firefly - F.Mk.1 to U.Mk.9Published: September 7, 2015 Years ago when I got back into plastic modeling in a serious sort of way, I saw the 1/72 Airfix kit of the Fairey Firefly on a hobby store shelf and was taken by the box art of this big bird. Of course I bought it. I confess after all these years, it’s still on my shelf but with the arrival of this book authored by Paul Bradley, I’ve been inspired to put it on my short list. Along with the… more |
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Naval Fighters Number Ninety-Nine: Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider/Part Two – U.S. Navy SquadronsPublished: March 18, 2015 I’ve been hooked on Steve Ginter’s publications ever since I came upon his first ones which more or less amounted to just decent-size pamphlets in thickness, with no color. Since then, I have managed to glom onto a pretty good collection of his Naval Fighter Series and companion Air Force Legends Series as well. Each successive Ginter book seems to set the bar a little bit higher,… more |
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A-4B S.A. Detail SetPublished: October 15, 2014 This follow-up review of Eduard’s detail set covers pretty much “everything else” in the set since the cockpit was covered in Part One. I won’t summarize that section here, but have provided the link to it if you’re interested in reading and referencing that one to get the complete picture of this detail set. A drawback of this entire build had nothing to do with the Eduard set---the… more |
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A-4B Self-Adhesive Part 1Published: August 23, 2014
This photo-etch detail set provides a higher level of detail for the relatively recent release of the Airfix A-4B kit. It contains two frets of parts. The smaller of the two is self-adhesive with some of the parts pre-painted. These parts are meant largely for the cockpit and ejection seat. The larger fret is meant to be used largely on the airframe and isn’t self-adhesive. The detail on all… more |
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A-4 Skyhawk Ejection Seat with Safety BeltsPublished: July 19, 2014 I intend to use this Quickboost seat to replace the kit part in an Airfix A-4B. The seat is molded in super nice bubble-free resin, with sharp, molded detail of the lap belts, shoulder harness, and oxygen hose. The primary and secondary ejection handles are molded separately and are located on the pour stub beneath the seat pan. The stiffening corrugations on the sides of… more |
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’69 Shelby GT500 ConvertiblePublished: July 18, 2014 Revell has re-issued their Shelby GT500 as a convertible with a new body shell, roll bar, a convertible top which can be modeled up or down with an included boot, and also features two options for the engine. The mill can be built stock, or with a set of dual quads and a high-rise manifold. The hood has a scribed, outlined section to cut out in order to accommodate the custom engine option if… more |
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Boeing 720 United with SAC Landing GearPublished: April 13, 2014 Originally developed as an intermediate-range version of Boeing’s highly successful 707, the 720’s fuselage was shorter by 7 feet 9 inches. A reduced fuel capacity enabled a lighter structure, and with aerodynamic improvements in the form of full-span leading-edge flaps, the aircraft was actually a bit more operationally versatile than the 707, except in range. With an original designation of… more |
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Air Do Boeing 737-700Published: March 31, 2014 Hasegawa has been releasing many of its kits as Limited Edition issues during the last few years, and this iteration of its new-tool “advanced 737” kit in the colors of Air Do---the relatively new identity of Hokkaido Airlines---follows suit. The moldings and parts are the same as previous issues, with white fuselage halves and gray for all other parts. (Photo 37Parts.jpg) The kit comes with… more |
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Mitsubishi F-1Published: March 4, 2014 Retired from active service in 2006, The F-1 was the JASDF’s first Japanese-designed and -manufactured supersonic fighter, and was essentially the same airframe as the two-seat Mitsubishi T-2 trainer, but had a solid “hood” in place of the second canopy, along with assorted weapons capabilities and internal differences. The similarity in appearance to the SEPECAT Jaguar has some merit, though… more |